Learning about e-safety is a vital life skill. Empowering children at an early age with the knowledge to safeguard themselves and their personal information is something that needs to be nurtured throughout school to see them into adult life.
Equally it is important to empower adults, particularly parents, with the right information so that they can identify risky behaviour, or mitigate the possibility of risk.
Alan Mackenzie, e-safety advisor – The Guardian Teacher Network (2012)
Strategies, policies and vision can guide the direction, but when adopting and implementing e-safety, change happens when students and staff get involved themselves to drive it forward.
Everyone should know their responsibilities in relation to e-safety. Awareness takes many forms and needs to be integrated into teaching practice and the curriculum. Everyone needs guidance in developing their own set of responsible behaviours in relation to responsible online behaviour.
This section looks at:
- Implementing e-safety support throughout the student journey
- Assessing student and staff skills to ensure an understanding of the wider implications of e-safety
- Embedding e-safety through continuing professional development (CPD) and staff development
- Developing a culture that is inclusive and accessible
- Motivating everyone to get involved in e-safety
Developing digital literacies
Digital literacies are those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society.
Developing responsible behaviour in relation to e-safety can be seen as part of the wider need to enhance an individual’s digital literacy. Our guide provides ideas and resources to inspire the strategic development of digital literacies ie those capabilities which support living, learning and working in a digital society. Digital literacies encompasses a range of capabilities represented in a seven elements model:
